afterwards the secretary told pentagon workers the united states must lead with its allies. he says he believes the military is a force for good and that he is committed to equal benefits for all service members. secretary hagel also touched on those looming budget cuts calling them a reality we need to figure out. those cuts also a top priority for the nation's next treasury secretary. the senate voted about two hours ago to confirm the former white house chief of staff jack lew to that position. is he now set to succeed tim geithner. lew is the former white house budget director and prior to that he was an exec at citigroup. some republicans had criticized lew over compensation the bank gave him during a time when taxpayers bailed the bank out but today 20 republicans voted for him. the final tally 71 to 26. all that despite a squiggly thing he calls a signature. the president is speaking, giving remarks at the business council dinner at the park hyatt in washington. he expected to urge congress to compromise to replace the sequester, the name for that thing they have give